balloon goes up

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

A balloon with a radiosonde goes up.

Probably from the releasing of a balloon as a signal for an event to begin,[1] possibly popularized by the use of balloons by the British Army during World War I (1914–1918) as a signal for artillery fire to commence.[2]

Pronunciation[edit]

Phrase[edit]

balloon goes up

  1. (idiomatic) Chiefly preceded by the: something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins. [from early 20th c.]
    ― When is your job interview?
    ― The balloon goes up at 10 tomorrow.

Usage notes[edit]

  • The term is also used with other forms of the word go, such as going and went.

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ the balloon goes up, phrase” under balloon, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2022.
  2. ^ balloon goes up, the”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, →ISBN.